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Things To Do

Moody Gardens

Moody Gardens is a unique tourist attraction intended to be of benefit of Galveston and in extension, visitors to the island. Moody Gardens is a public, non-profit entity intended to be the best educational/leisure destination in the region.

Moody Gardens is easily identifiable as visitors drive onto the island by its large pyramid structures. In the 10-story glass Rainforest Pyramid, Moody Gardens houses more than 1,000 species of plants and animals. Some of the animals, like the Saki Monkeys, are free roaming within the rainforest and not in enclosures.

The Rainforest Pyramid contains birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles in a warm, wild-looking environment and allows visitors to see them up close.

The best way to see it all is on the Moody Gardens Zip Line and Sky Trail Explorer Ropes Course. Open on the weekends during the winter, this Zip Line Course allows visitors to see Moody Gardens from a five-tier vantage point up 60 feet in the air. It is the tallest steel ropes course on the Gulf Coast. For children 48” and under, there is a smaller Sky Tykes Ropes Course.

Their MG 3D Theater features the largest screen in Texas and a variety of different movies. They also have a 4D Theater that adds another sensory dimension. Moody Gardens uses 3D projection and combines it with additional physical interactions—seat sensors, leg ticklers, wind, snow, scent and water splashes.

Also unusual is the SpongeBob SubPants Adventure, winner of the 2016 THEA Award for Outstanding Achievement. It combines 3D and 4D effects, visitors on an interactive, improvisational tour of various Bikini Bottom destinations with SpongeBob and Patrick Star.

A short drive away from the main complex is the Moody Gardens Golf Course, formerly the Galveston Municipal Golf Course. Re-opened in 2008, Jacobsen Hardy Golf Course Design revealed a $16 million comprehensive renovation. The new design respects the best historical features of the course while improving certain holes and course flow.

The Moody Gardens Golf Course is still owned by the City of Galveston but is part of Moody Gardens investment in facilities for residents and visitors to the island.

Visitor Tips

Moody Gardens is huge, and showing up early in the day gives visitors the best opportunity to see many things. Two-day ticket discounts are also available. Be sure to check their website to see updated times and days for when different events, movies, and activities are offered.